A Different Kind of Phantom
by Jedexa
Summary: Daisuke and Danny are participating in an exchange program for their schools. The inadvertent result? Daisuke meets ghosts, and Danny meets Hikari Arts. And, of course, they meet each other. Crossover Collab by Jedexa & LalNilaSyrin from AO3! AU Volume 15 Ending DNAngel, pre-last-few-episodes-of-season-3 DP. Mostly canon pairings (though pairings are not the focus of this story).
1. Chapter 1

_**A Different Kind of Phantom**__ - A Danny Phantom + DNAngel crossover by Lal Nila Syrin and Jedexa_

A/N: Hi there! Been a while? I know I haven't posted any other stories, nor updated any ongoing ones, and I'm so so sooo sorry about that! I do plan on finishing them eventually. So for now, this is an official hiatus notice, until I can get my life together (currently, college and work as well as dealing with depression and learning disabilities among other health issues). You can of course always find me on my facebook fanpage (link on my profile) or twitter (which I keep forgetting to update, sorry!) or even my tumblr if you manage to stumble across that.

That being said, this fic, previously untitled when the first two chapters were written but now called "A Different Kind of Phantom", is _not_ a new fic. These were released like, last year? Or at least, in like January. There are only two chapters so far, and I haven't had time to work on any more since they were written and posted. They were originally posted on my friend's tumblr and AO3, as she's the one doing most of the legwork here-if you hadn't guessed already, this is a collaboration fic. I'm mostly there to edit and make ideas and outlines, but she's the one who gives the characters voice. She's great at that! I highly recommend her and her other works, as well (there's a link to her stuff on my profile too).

Without further ado, let's begin!

Blanket Disclaimer: Neither authors own Danny Phantom, DNAngel, or any related material except the writing and plot of this fic.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"Now that we've finished reading _How to Be an American Housewife_," Lancer held his arms behind his back as he paced the room with an evaluating eye, "and you've finished your essays on 'if you were a non-American trying to adjust to life in America' and 'what you want to know about Japanese culture', let's open it up for discussion."

A few students exchanged wary glances, frowning. Others lit up—namely Sam Manson.

"Well?" Lancer glanced at each of his students, "Who wants to start it off? Any thoughts you might have, what you found interesting or something that bothered you…"

Sam raised her hand eagerly. Danny and Tucker shared a glance and rolled their eyes.

"Yes, Miss Manson?"

"I really liked this unit because we normally learn things from an American point of view, and trying to see it from another country's point of view is really interesting!" Sam lowered her hand. "But I think some of it is really inaccurate."

"Inaccurate in what way?" Lancer quirked an eyebrow.

"Well, Japanese culture is much more diverse and rich than what you taught us. There's so many things we could have written essays on and learned about, like Golden Week and Girls' Day," Sam listed off on her fingers.

"Guess we know who got an A." Dash snickered.

"Only because she watches anime." Paulina whispered back. It didn't go unnoticed, and Sam shot her a glare.

Star raised her hand. "Mr. Lancer? Why did we do a unit on Japan anyhow? It's not like the stuff we normally learn."

A couple of students nodded in agreement. Lancer's eyebrows rose in amusement.

"I'm very glad you asked, actually. I'm sure you all know Principal Ishiyama is Japanese-American, and still has family in Japan." Lancer smiled, "Her sister is something of a cultural experience exchange program coordinator in Japan, and they've been working together to put together a program for you sophomores and your upperclassmen to experience a week abroad."

The class broke out in chatter. It took Lancer quite a few minutes to calm them all down, and he sighed in exasperation before he continued.

"Since the program is still new and experimental," Lancer turned to his desk, mumbling under his breath, "and expensive," before he picked up a small stack of papers and turned back to the class, "only two students per grade will be chosen to go to Japan, and I've been given the honor of choosing the two students for your year. The trip will be over the coming spring break, which happens to coincide with the beginning of their school year."

"Wait," Sam raised her hand, "we're not going there just for the cultural experience?"

"No, it's an exchange program. So you will be going there for a week to take classes with Japanese students." At the groans, Lancer chuckled. "Yes, it means whoever goes will be spending spring break learning things. In this case, since none of you can speak Japanese, you'll only be attending classes that don't require it much, so there won't be classes like history or social studies. I've heard Ishiyama say that the chosen students will be taking math, home economics, and chemistry for the week, and will also be helping students in their English classes, as native English speakers."

"But how would anyone get around if they can't understand anything?" Tucker asked, frowning.

"That's where the exchange part comes in, aside from the classes. Japanese high school students will be coming here for a week first—the week right before spring break, you see. It will be their own spring vacation they're spending here." Lancer looked down at the papers in his hands, "Unlike some of you, their English is actually proficient, so they'll be able to take classes here and see how American schools are like. When the chosen students go to Japan, these Japanese students will be the guides—sort of like a buddy system."

"So we've got to be theirs while they're here." Sam nodded in approval. She liked the sound of this program.

"Who will be going?" Star asked.

"Ah, always asking the right questions, Star!" Lancer grinned, holding up the stack of papers, "Some of the other teachers are choosing randomly, or by application. However, _I'm_ choosing based on your _essays_."

Paulina leaned over and whispered to Star, "If he's only choosing the A students, I bet Manson's going to get chosen. Well, at least we won't have to worry about her for break!" Star smiled slyly and giggled in response, but quieted when Lancer held up his hand to catch their attention again.

"Now, based on the number of you that actually looked like they put effort into their work," He shot a slightly disappointed glance at the A-list group, "I'll be choosing who I think has the most to get out of going, and who is actually willing to go. I will choose one boy and one girl, to be fair." He added.

"Girls first—Sam Manson," he started, to which the addressed goth girl cheered quietly and gave a high-five to Danny, who smiled proudly at her. "Valerie Gray, and Star Andrews."

A few people blinked in surprise, glancing at Star and Valerie. Star didn't look surprised, but Valerie seemed like she hadn't expected to be a candidate.

When she recovered, Valerie raised her hand. "I can't do the program, Mr. Lancer. I have to work over spring break, and I don't think I can afford going to Japan, even if it's for school."

Lancer nodded. "I understand that. And you?" He looked toward Star. "I was quite impressed on your essay about the differences between Japanese and American social cues and mannerisms, Star. Going to Japan could let you see first hand how Japanese people act toward a foreigner."

"Hmm, let me think about it." Star grinned charmingly.

Lancer nodded, turning his head. "Miss Manson?"

"I'd love to go!" Sam nodded, ignoring Star. Even if she didn't get chosen for the trip to Japan, it wasn't like she couldn't afford it herself. But the idea of experiencing a Japanese high school sounded exciting! She wouldn't have been able to do that on her own…

"Alright then. Talk to me after class." Lancer turned back to the majority of the class. "Now for the boys… it's actually rather surprising, but I was pleased with the essays of these students the most. Kwan… and Daniel."

Danny, who had been leaning back in his chair, sputtered and nearly choked as he fell over. Everyone looked toward him, half amused and half exasperated. They expected these clumsy shenanigans out of Danny by now.

"M-me?" Danny asked as he got up, righting his chair and sitting back down in it.

"Wow, cool, thanks Mr. Lancer!" Kwan was practically jumping in his seat, giddy like a child, "I'm glad you liked my poem!"

"Yes, well," Lancer smiled in amusement, glancing at Danny, "Yes, Mr. Fenton, you. You wrote a compelling letter playing the role of a half-Japanese student, and while you don't know a lot about Japan I saw that you were quite interested in it."

Danny blushed, glancing at Sam—she was the one who rambled a lot when she was writing her essay, and he had just picked out the most interesting things she talked about and wrote about those. But pretending to be half-something and adjusting to a new life in a new world… that wasn't just role-playing. Not that Lancer had to know.

"Uh, thanks, I think." Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess when I try I'm not half-bad at that stuff." It also helped that the ghosts hadn't been attacking as much, so he had finally had time to do his homework for once. And it was definitely an interesting subject!

Sam gave him a proud grin like the one he had given her earlier, nudging him with her elbow excitedly. She didn't need words for him to know she really wanted him to accept the trip so they could possibly go together.

"Right. Do either of you not want to go?" Lancer asked.

Kwan looked thoughtful. "Can I call my parents first?"

"You can after class." Lancer nodded, glancing at Danny, who shrugged. "You shall see me after class is over then too. Well then, now that this business is over, let's return to the lesson, shall we? We were discussing _How to Be an American Housewife_. And your essays. Who wants to talk about theirs? Star? Mr. Fenton?"

* * *

><p>Tucker slapped Sam and Danny on the shoulders as he passed, grinning proudly at them. "I'll wait outside for you guys."<p>

"Yeah, see you in a bit." Danny nodded. He shouldered his backpack, leaning on his desk as he watched the rest of the students file out of the classroom. Kwan stood in the corner, talking on his cell phone, and Star was examining her nails nonchalantly by the door, talking to Dash and Paulina before they left. Sam threw her backpack on, grinning widely.

"Can you believe it, Danny? We might get to go to Japan together!"

"Yeah… I know you've always wanted to go." Danny laughed, "I hope you get chosen, even if I don't."

"Oh, no, you'd better get chosen too. I don't think I can last a week with Kwan again—no offense to the guy." Sam made a face, walking to the front of the classroom with him.

Danny shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I don't think I'd want to be stuck with him for a week either." He lowered his voice before they stopped near the front, "But I might decline anyway. I mean, if I go… who would protect Amity, you know?"

"Danny, it's only for a week. What could happen?" Sam's eyebrows creased, "Tucker will still be here, and your parents, and Valerie. Besides, haven't the ghosts been keeping quiet for a while now?"

"Which is exactly why I'm worried." Danny sighed, his shoulders sagging. He was about to say more, but Kwan stepped up to them, facing the teacher's desk.

"My parents said I couldn't go," Kwan said, looking extremely disappointed, "Sorry, Mr. Lancer."

The balding man shook his head. "It's completely understandable, Kwan. Don't worry about it—there will be other opportunities to go, after all. You're only a sophomore—if this program goes well, you will have at least two more chances before you graduate."

Kwan lit up, nodding. "Yeah! I'll definitely try again next year, it sounds like a really fun program!" He chirped, "Well, I should get to football practice now. See you later, Mr. Lancer! And see you at practice, Star!" Kwan waved cheerfully as he grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

"Looks like you're going after all, Danny." Sam grinned.

Danny gave a weak smile. "I guess so. Well, I'm not gonna say no if it's given to me on a silver platter like this, I guess."

Lancer glanced at Star now. "Do you still want time to think?"

"Well, at first I wanted to go because I heard the fashion was really beautiful, and I could do a lot of shopping," Star began, "and they do makeup there really cute, so I wanted to learn how. But I'd have to bring my own money if I wanted to shop, right?"

"You're probably thinking about the city, where there are lots of malls and people," Lancer gave her a look, "Perhaps I should have made it clearer, but the part of Japan you'd be visiting would be a little more rural than that. It's more in the country, one of those small towns."

"Oh," Star deflated, "Well, then the geeky lovebirds can go. I don't mind, I'll go next year or something—hopefully there'll be a more interesting location then." She waved her hand.

"We're not lovebirds!" Sam and Danny said at the same time, their faces red. Danny had flailed his hands, and Sam's shoulders shot up like a cat on its hackles.

"Sure you're not. Just go out already, yeah? No one's gonna make fun of you," Star rolled her eyes, "Really, even if we don't like you, it's pretty clear you're meant for each other." She said a brief goodbye to Lancer, picked up her backpack, and slipped out the door.

Sam groaned, and Danny hid his face in his hands, both of them sagging and avoiding each other's eyes. After a moment, they realized Lancer was still there, and turned toward him.

"So, you two agree to go to Japan on spring break?" Lancer gave them an amused look, ignoring their teenage drama.

"Yes, Mr. Lancer." They nodded, and Lancer handed them each a packet of forms and permission slips.

"Here, have your parents look at these and sign them." Lancer nodded. "Part of the program also involves housing the exchange students for the week, but get these back to me as soon as possible so we can make arrangements if your parents don't agree."

Sam nodded, glancing over the papers. Danny frowned. "I dunno… I mean, _Amity Park_ as a whole is already weirded out by my house. Do we really want a foreigner to _live_ there?"

Lancer gave him a look. "This is also partly up to you, of course, but again, alternative arrangements can be made." He nodded, understanding the raven-haired boy's worries.

Sam flipped her packet shut, grinning. "So, we'll be going to Azumano, huh?"


	2. Chapter 2

Previously: Lancer, after teaching a unit on Japanese-American culture, makes an announcement that Casper High will be testing out an exchange program with a small school in Japan. And who else would be picked for it but Danny Fenton.

This part: Spring break is just around the corner, and Danny is beginning to look forward to going to Japan—especially when he meets the exchange student he's going to be showing around.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

"I'm still jealous you got into the program," Jazz huffed as she helped Danny rearrange his room, pushing his bed closer to the wall, "I applied for it but I didn't get chosen…"

"Well, you win some, you lose some," Danny shrugged, grunting as the bed's metal frame screeched against the floor, "I mean, it's not like I volunteered. Lancer just really liked my essay I guess. But I'm sort of looking forward to it—it might be fun."

His orange-haired sister sighed, obviously still put-off. They finished putting the bed off to the side, then the two of them went into the hallway to get the extra mattress they had brought up earlier.

"I'm still a little worried, though—I mean, I know Mom and Dad are pretty enthusiastic about it, and they were totally okay with letting the kid stay here for the week, but…" Danny trailed off, glancing behind him to make sure he didn't crash into the door frame as he walked backwards to move the mattress in.

"I'll make sure they're on their best behavior," Jazz chuckled, crouching as they reached the half of the room with the empty floor space, and the mattress flopped down with a soft "thump" as both Fentons dropped it. "I mean, it's kind of like that time Vlad stayed here, right? They weren't so bad at being hosts."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yeah but… Vlad's used to Dad's rambling about ghosts. Most people don't understand the jargon he uses. I feel sorry for the kid who's gonna have to listen to it when English isn't even his first language." He paused when Jazz gave him a sly, bright grin, and he frowned. "What?"

"You used the word jargon. You really do listen when I talk!" Jazz giggled.

Danny rolled his eyes, kicking the mattress to straighten it. "Whatever. Anyway, now that this is done… I guess we should go pick him up at the airport?"

Jazz nodded, heading downstairs with her brother and grabbing her keys and jacket. "You have his flight number?" She asked over her shoulder.

Danny nodded, waving his phone to show her he had written a memo in it, and they headed out the door. As they buckled into her car, Danny silently thanked the lords that his parents didn't volunteer to go pick up the exchange student with him—or more like, Jazz wouldn't let them. They didn't want to scare the poor kid to death with his father's driving.

"Hey Jazz, don't forget to pick up Sam too. She needs to meet her exchange buddy." Danny reminded his older sister.

"Right," Jazz nodded, pulling out of the driveway. When they were on the road, she asked, "So is she getting a girl?"

"I think so." Danny nodded, "I'm not sure. But I don't think Lancer would let a boy stay with a girl, even if she's got a bajillion guest rooms. And he didn't say anything about me taking in two students, so I'm pretty sure it's a boy and a girl."

"What's his name, anyway?" The carrot-top asked, and glanced out of the corner of her eye as Danny opened his memo on his phone to check.

"Daisuke Niwa."

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><p>When Daisuke Niwa got off the plane with his classmates, he looked around Gate 7 in observance, absently following his group to pick up their luggage. He had never been to America before, but his father had told him so many things about it—it was certainly brighter and warmer here than it was in Azumano, now.<p>

The groups split off to look for their hosts—the two seniors quickly found the signs with their names on it, and after some searching, Daisuke found his as well. His classmate's name had been next to it, so they bid farewell to their remaining upperclassmen and went over.

They were met with two young women—one was a nervous-looking orange-haired girl that appeared older than him, and the other was a black-haired girl with purple eyes and lipstick that accentuated them. Daisuke looked confused—the orange-haired lady was holding the sign with his name.

"_That's weird, wasn't I staying with a boy?_" He mumbled to himself, though he followed his classmate over to the pair.

The younger American girl lowered her sign. "Hi, are you Ritsuko and Daisuke?" She asked, nudging the girl with her to lower her sign as well.

Daisuke nodded, wincing a little at the use of his name—he wasn't used to unfamiliar people not calling him 'Niwa-kun'. But this was America, and it was their custom to call each other by their first names, so he would have to get used to it.

"Nice to meet you," his classmate, Ritsuko, greeted the dark-looking girl with a half-bow, "I am Fukuda Ritsuko. You must be… ah, Man_so_n-san?" Ritsuko's noticeable accent made her voice slow, but Sam grinned.

"Yeah. It's Manson—but you can call me Sam, if you want." The American teenager corrected patiently.

"Ah, _anou_," Daisuke cleared his throat, eyeing the other girl, "I was told I was meeting Fen… ah, Daniel Fenton?" He asked uncertainly.

The orange-haired girl smiled apologetically at the other redhead, brushing some of her bangs out of her face. "Yes, that would be my little brother, Danny. He went to the bathroom—he should be back soon."

"Oh." Daisuke blinked slowly, "You are his sister?"

"Yeah. I'm Jazz Fenton, nice to meet you." Jazz smiled, offering a hand to shake his. Daisuke glanced at it, seeming contemplative of something, but after a moment he reached out and shook it firmly.

"Nice to meet you." He nodded, bowing his head slightly.

Sam spoke up, getting his attention. "I'm Sam Manson, by the way. Danny and I will both be showing you around school on Monday, but you can use today and tomorrow to get settled."

Daisuke nodded in acknowledgement. Ritsuko giggled, "You know, it is funny! We left our country on Saturday night, and we arrive here on Saturday afternoon!" She grinned to herself.

"You must be tired, after such a long flight," Sam commented.

"Not really, we sleep through it." Ritsuko shrugged.

"Slept," Daisuke corrected absently, blinking when he saw a black-haired boy running toward them, only to gasp—was that mist?—and trip on his shoelaces right before he got to them. He flailed his arms and then fell face-first onto the ground.

"Whoa-a-a—oof!"

Jazz jumped, looking down. "Danny!" She gasped, crouching to help him up. Daisuke stared, his eyebrow's raised in concern. This was Danny?

"_He's as clumsy as you, Niwa-kun!_" Ritsuko whispered to him, giggling. Daisuke frowned, not taking his eyes off the boy.

The black-haired boy gave a sheepish grin as he let his sister help him up, rubbing his face where he hit it. "Sorry I'm late, I uh, I got lost on the way back here." He admitted in embarrassment, his face a slight pink. He looked away, though it seemed more like he was looking for something.

"Are you… okay?" Daisuke asked slowly, eyeing Danny almost warily. Danny had lied—Daisuke could tell. Actually, even Jazz had lied before, but he had decided not to call her out on it. He didn't know what to think about the pair.

"Ah, yeah, I'm alright. Happens all the time." Danny grinned, his face returning to its normal pale color, "You're Dai_su_ke right? I'm Danny, nice to meet you."

Once again, the redhead cringed at his name, but this time it was because Danny had pronounced it wrong. "Daisuke," he nodded, "Nice to meet you too, ah, Danny."

"Great, now that we're all here," Jazz piped up, patting Danny on the shoulder once she was sure he was fine, "Let's get you guys settled, hm?"

She led them out to the parking lot, where the pair of exchange students put their things in the trunk of Jazz's car and they all squeezed in. Ritsuko got to sit up front, since Danny was the most comfortable being squished in the middle of Daisuke and Sam in the back seat.

As they drove through the town, Sam and Jazz pointed at things that passed by the windows, and the foreigners looked out at it with piqued interest. Daisuke, however, kept shifting his eyes back to Danny, quirking an eyebrow as the blue-eyed boy turned a faint pink whenever his arm even brushed Sam's.

After Jazz dropped Sam and Ritsuko off at Sam's house and Sam promised to call Danny to make plans to go out with their guests later, Danny and Daisuke were given ample space in the back seat to relax now.

After an awkward silence from both boys, Danny spoke directly to Daisuke for the first time since they left the air port.

"So, uh, before we get there, there's something I have to tell you about my house."

Daisuke looked over quizzically. _It couldn't be worse than my house._ He thought to himself with slight amusement.

"What is it?" He asked, "Is it small?"

"Oh, no, it's perfectly spacious—uh, you'll be staying in my room, even. There's lots of room and we set up a bed for you," Danny said with a slightly high rambling voice, "It's just… well, my parents are a bit eccentric, so…"

Daisuke wondered how 'eccentric' was eccentric for Danny, when he considered his own mother slightly less than sane. After all, what mother constantly built traps that could potentially kill her son—in their own home?

As he entertained these thoughts, he was brought back to reality when Danny continued speaking. "They might try to talk to you about, uh, ghosts and stuff, and aim something at you, but don't worry, the weapons are totally harmless to humans, so don't panic!"

The look on the Japanese boy's face grew from skeptic to puzzled as Danny continued rambling.

"Ghosts?" Daisuke interrupted, frowning. "Weapons?"

"Ah, yeah," Danny rubbed his head nervously, "Didn't you know? Amity Park is the most haunted place in America. Ah, maybe I should have included a note about this to you, but my parents are… err, ghost hunters."

"I thought that was a tourist bit." Daisuke commented. _Though considering everything I've seen, ghosts probably are real._

The voice in the back of his head confirmed that they were. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"So ghosts are real… and so are ghost hunters, then?"

"Oh… no, they're definitely real. I'd honestly be surprised if you still didn't believe in them by the end of the week." Danny frowned, "Anyway, um… yeah, so I'm going to apologize ahead of time about my parents, their antics can get out of hand sometimes and there's not much we can do to stop it…"

"I never said I didn't believe," Daisuke side-eyed Danny, lifting an eyebrow, missing the strange look Jazz gave him in the rear view mirror.

Danny looked surprised. "Yeah? Wow, this is a first—most people called my family crazy for believing in ghosts."

Daisuke shrugged, giving a surprisingly friendly grin. "I keep an open mind." He looked out the window, paused, and did a double take. He had caught sight of the building with the glowing neon sign and the huge metal contraption on top. "What is _that_?" He pointed.

Danny groaned, running his hand down his face. "That… would be my house."

Daisuke stared at him, then smiled in amusement. "It looks interesting," He said politely, looking out at it again as the car came to a stop. "Um… certainly very… eccentric, as you said."

The black-haired teen glanced curiously at him, but got out of the car as Jazz turned off the engine. Daisuke was still looking up at the house.

_Well, as long as it doesn't try to kill me, it can't be worse than _my_ house._

* * *

><p>Danny found Daisuke to be odd. When they got inside the house, the first thing the redhead did was take stock of his surroundings—it was exactly the same thing Danny did, whenever he went to a new environment. Of course, Danny often did this to look for an escape route in case he needed one. Daisuke… he seemed to be looking for something else… something hidden.<p>

He eyed ceiling panels a little too long.

"So, uh, welcome to our home!" Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "C'mon, I'll show you to your room—well, it's more like _our_ room, but you get the point."

Daisuke glanced back at him, nodding. "Though the outside looks strange, it seems normal in here." He commented, following Danny upstairs.

"Uh, yeah, our mom wanted me and Jazz to live a somewhat normal life—they try not to get us involved in the ghost hunting stuff unless we want to do it." Danny shrugged. He paused, because he could have sworn he heard Daisuke mutter "lucky" under his breath, but it was already past, and he couldn't tell if he imagined it or not.

"Danny, I'm gonna start dinner!" Jazz called up, causing the boys to stop on the stairs. "Ah, Daisuke, is there anything you can't eat?"

Daisuke shook his head. "It will be interesting to have an American dinner, so don't change your plans on my account." He said politely, giving the girl a charismatic smile. "I look forward to whatever you make."

Jazz grinned brightly at him, disappearing from the foot of the stairs to go into the kitchen. Danny shrugged, continuing up. "So, down there is my parents' room, that's my sister's, that's the bathroom, and this one is mine—you'll be sharing this room with me." He pointed as they stopped in the hallway, pushing open the door to his room and motioning Daisuke in first.

Daisuke went in, looking around curiously—and once again, Danny noticed he seemed to be looking for hidden crevices or something. He wondered what could prompt a kid to learn that kind of wariness.

Danny pointed out which bed was Daisuke's, and he put his bags down, sitting on the mattress and bouncing a little as he did so.

"You like space?" Daisuke asked, noting the NASA posters on the walls and the model rocket ships scattered about.

Danny nodded, grinning widely. "Yeah! I wanna be an astronaut someday. Go into space, see the stars, explore new worlds… that kind of thing!" He said excitedly.

Daisuke smiled warmly at him, "It's a nice dream to have. I hope you get there some day."

Danny sat down on his own bed, crossing his legs. "What about you?"

"I want to become an artist," Daisuke answered with a bright twinkle in his eyes, "ah, but I don't think I'm very good, right now… I still need practice."

Danny chuckled. "Hey, you're probably more on your way to your dream than I am to mine. I'm a C-student trying to get into a space program."

Daisuke looked at him in confusion, and after a moment of trying to puzzle out whatever confused him, he gave up and asked, "C-student?"

"Oh, right, you don't have the same grading system in Japan, huh?" Danny realized, "It means I'm not doing well in school—I'm just below average."

"Ah. I see what you mean, then. I suppose I'm a C-student too, though probably on the above-average end of the spectrum." Daisuke commented.

"No way—you?" Danny blinked in surprise. For some reason, he had expected Daisuke to be smarter than that—he seemed like the good-boy type who pleased his mother.

Daisuke chuckled. "Yes. My best subjects are English and art, but I'm getting only average grades in my other subjects. Math is the worst."

"Oh—wait, if you're not so good at academics, why did you join the exchange program? To learn extra stuff over your vacation?" Danny asked, genuinely curious as to why Daisuke was in America.

"Well, the teachers just recommended the people with the best English skills." Daisuke shrugged, "I figured it would be fun to go, anyway, and my dad thought I could use the break, so he suggested I apply."

Danny tilted his head. "Break? Break from what?"

Daisuke paused, looking like he was trying to come up with the right words, before he sighed and settled with, "My family might be a little… eccentric, as well. Especially my mom."

Danny laughed, much to Daisuke's surprise. "I honestly don't think I'll meet anyone more eccentric than my family. I almost can't wait to meet yours next week."

Daisuke grinned. "Hopefully you don't regret those words." He paused, "Speaking of your family… you keep saying your parents are eccentric, but I have yet to see them."

"They're probably working down in the lab and didn't hear us come in," Danny shrugged, "All the better. If they had known you were coming they would have bombarded you somehow. You'll definitely see them at dinner, though—my dad loves food, he'd never miss a meal even if they're working on something really important."

Daisuke took a moment to absorb the information, and then asked, "You have a lab? Is this normal for an American family?"

Danny shook his head mirthfully, changing his sitting position on the bed. "No, god I hope not at least. It's really the basement, but my parents converted it into a lab so they could experiment on ghosts and build stuff. It's not like they were going to invent a new weapon on the kitchen table—though they _have_ done that before." He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"I thought they were hunters."

"They are. But they catch ghosts to study them. They're kinda more like scientists, really. They do a lot of studying and engineering, but I'll be honest with you: they can't catch a ghost if it was living under their own roof." Danny grinned widely.

Daisuke didn't get why Danny seemed so amused, but he assumed it was some sort of inside joke.

"Can I see this lab sometime?" Daisuke asked curiously, "Unless it's dangerous, but…"

"Sure," Danny nodded, "I'll show you after dinner."

"And that odd metal thing on the roof?" Daisuke tilted his head hopefully.

"The Ops Center? Yeah, I can definitely show you that, it's less dangerous than the lab, for sure." Danny chuckled, and at Daisuke's confused look he explained, "The Operations Center. It's sort of a defense system in case we have a huge ghost invasion. It's happened once or twice already… plus it controls the house's safety mechanisms."

Daisuke blinked slowly. "…Safety mechanisms?"

"Did I mention we get ghost attacks pretty regularly?" Danny gave an exasperated grin.

Daisuke look thoughtful, and then after a moment, he said, "I'd believe it."

He didn't realize that Daisuke had already noticed the hidden panels in the walls, and had just deduced that they hid weapons.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure I can't help?"<p>

"Oh, you're sweet, Daisuke, thank you. But we're fine," Jazz smiled over her shoulder at the redhead, turning back to continue sauteing the vegetables.

"Yeah, we do the cooking all the time," Danny explained, taking the bread rolls out of the oven, "You really don't want our parents to cook—that stuff is literally radioactive half the time." Danny paused, recognizing Daisuke's look of confusion, and after a moment, he pinpointed the thing the other boy seemed to be confused about. "Radioactive means that it's got… chemicals in it, or something, that makes it unsafe to eat." He tried to explain.

"Oh."

"You'd think Mom and Dad would have safety procedures about that stuff," Jazz sighed, "We should just put a big sign on the back of the lab door to remind Dad to wash his hands before he comes up to eat."

Danny laughed. "Mom's not any better for forgetting to tell him to."

Daisuke looked a little lost on the conversation, so he had gone back to looking around, possibly to find something to help with. Danny had already put the plates, forks, and spoons out, and he was just putting the bread rolls on the table when the microwave dinged and he went to get the chicken they were heating up.

He couldn't help but notice that there were even more hidden panels in the kitchen than he had seen in the living room and upstairs. He almost wondered what the weapons behind them looked like—and if they were dangerous. If they were, this house sure would give _his_ house a run for its money.

"Mom, Dad! Dinner!" Jazz called loudly just as she put the plate of vegetables on the table, and Danny brought over the fried chicken.

"Oh, boy!" Daisuke heard a loud, booming voice bellow. A few seconds later, the largest man Daisuke had ever seen burst through the door on the other side of the kitchen, grinning happily. He had to do a double take, his eyebrows raising at the sight of the bright orange hazmat suit the man wore. "It's not ham but chicken's still good!"

"Jack, honey, at least clean up before you—oh, never mind," An red-haired woman sighed in exasperation, appearing behind the orange man. She wore a similar brightly-colored hazmat suit, but hers was a nice shade of teal-blue. Unlike her husband, as Daisuke could obviously deduce the orange man was, she took notice of Daisuke right away. "Oh! Is this the exchange student?"

Daisuke nodded, standing up to greet his hosts. "I am. My name is Daisuke Niwa, nice to meet you." He bowed slightly, mostly out of habit, even though he knew the custom in America was to shake hands.

"Oh, so polite! I'm sorry we didn't come to greet you, we didn't even know you got here so soon," Danny's mother apologized, "Ah, we're such terrible hosts, we didn't even introduce ourselves, did we? I'm Maddie Fenton, and this is my husband, Jack Fenton."

Daisuke nodded in acknowledgement, shifting shyly on his feet. Jack, who had sat down at the table and grabbed his fork and spoon eagerly, was now looking at him with slight scrutiny. "You're right—we didn't even hear him come in! Like… a GHOST!" He gasped, but before he could jump up, Jazz slapped him on the back of his head, diverting his attention.

"Dad! Daisuke is not a ghost!" She scolded him exasperatedly, "You promised to keep the ghost stuff to a minimum, remember?"

Jack pouted, but nodded, mumbling, "Sorry, Jazz," before he looked back at Daisuke. "Well! Sorry about that! Welcome to America, my boy!"

"Thank you, sir," Daisuke rubbed his head conscientiously, and Danny glanced over, noticing he was the only one still standing, as Maddie had taken her seat at the table. Danny had grabbed another chair for him already, but Daisuke still didn't sit.

"What're you waiting for? Sit down." Danny lifted an eyebrow, and Daisuke blushed, quickly sitting.

"Sorry—I'm not used to, uh, this. In Japan, we usually wait for the elders to sit first." Daisuke said by way of explanation for his actions, "And as a guest in your home, I didn't think I had the right to sit down before you…"

"Oh, don't be silly," Maddie looked surprised—the boy certainly was humble. "Usually the kids start eating without us. It's fine, make yourself at home."

Daisuke nodded shyly, picking up the fork awkwardly. Jazz noticed, and asked, "Do you usually use chopsticks? I think we have a few from Chinese takeout, if you're more comfortable with that."

Daisuke shook his head. "No, I'm fine, thank you. Please don't trouble yourself for me." He smiled at her in reassurance, glancing at the food in the center of the table. Everyone else had already grabbed a bread roll and a chicken, so he did that too.

"So how are you liking America so far?" Maddie asked, curious to know her new temporary ward.

"It's alright, ma'am," Daisuke nodded, getting some vegetables, "I haven't seen much of it, since I only arrived not too long ago."

"Oh! What are your plans for tomorrow then?"

"Danny said that he and Sam were going to take me and my classmate to the arcade and a diner." Daisuke answered, "I've never been much for arcades, but that was because my town didn't have many nearby me, so it should be fun."

"That sounds great, but remember to come back before curfew," Maddie shot a look at Danny, "You have school, and you'd better not be a bad influence on Daisuke."

"I know Mom, jeez." Danny rolled his eyes, taking a bite of chicken.

"Um, Mrs. Fenton? I was wondering," Daisuke said awkwardly, catching the Fenton matriarch's attention once more, "Danny said you were ghost hunters and… scientists," he paused, rolling the word on his tongue awkwardly before he continued, "your home and clothes are very strange to me, as well as your profession. What exactly do you do?"

"We protect this town from ghosts, of course!" Jack answered in his loud, proud manner, "We're going to catch those ghosts, and rip them apart molecule by molecule, and see how they tick! So we can build a lot more things to destroy them and make sure they don't come back and terrorize anyone anymore!"

Daisuke cringed—as did Danny, he couldn't help but notice. "That… does not sound pleasant at all." The redhead commented, unsure how to respond to such a thing.

"It's not supposed to," Maddie sighed wistfully, "Ghosts are dangerous, so you should stay away from them, alright? Hopefully you won't run into them while you're here though."

"Yes, ma'am." Daisuke nodded—though secretly, he was sort of hoping to meet a ghost, and it wasn't like he couldn't handle himself if he did run into anything dangerous.

"Great. Now you stay safe tomorrow, you hear?"

* * *

><p>Danny lay in bed with his arms folded under his head, a little self-conscious knowing there was someone else in the room with him. He hadn't had anyone sleep in his room since he and Tucker were kids, so it was a bit of an odd feeling.<p>

He glanced over to his guest, surprised to find him in a similar position on his own bed—one arm folded beneath his head, the other held above it. A screen was glowing pale light onto his face—Danny hadn't even realized Daisuke had taken out his cell phone.

"What're you doing?" Danny asked softly, though from the way Daisuke had startled, he realized he should have gone with a different approach.

"Oh," Daisuke looked over at him, lowering his phone onto his chest, "I was just sending an email home. To tell them I got here okay."

"That's pretty nice," Danny smiled, sitting up in bed, "Is your mom the type to hound you for calls every day?"

"A bit," Daisuke chuckled, "My dad travels a lot, though, so he doesn't worry about me as much, since he knows how it is. He asked if I was having fun though. I'd like to think that I am."

"Really? We haven't even done anything yet."

"It was fun talking to you and your family tonight, though. They seem really interesting." Daisuke grinned, ignoring the voice in his head that called them all nutjobs.

"Oh yeah? I can't wait for you to meet my friends then." Danny lay down again, "They're tons more fun than my family."

"I don't know. I kind of like your sister—she's really smart. And I've never had siblings—not really. It must be nice." Daisuke shrugged.

Danny had to wonder what Daisuke meant by "not really".

"Anyway… I'm sorry if I kept you up, Danny."

Danny blinked, looking over. "Nah, it's fine, I wasn't asleep."

"Me neither. I'm usually up at night, so going to bed on time is a bit of an odd feeling."

Danny nodded. "Oh, I know that feeling _so_ much." He sighed, "Anyway… we'd better get some sleep, huh? Tomorrow's a long day of arcades and the Nasty Burger."

"That name still sounds unappetizing." Daisuke made a face, but he sighed too and pulled his covers up. "Good night, then, Danny."

"Yeah, g'night."

* * *

><p>AN: I forgot to mention a few things in the introductory A/N, so I'll put it here for now. I'm just going to copy in what Nila and I wrote as the original note to this chapter:

_If the timeline wasn't obvious already, I though I'd point it out here. Danny is a sophomore, therefore fifteen. He has most of his powers by now, and I think the only thing that hasn't happened are the last few episodes of the whole series (that summer camp episode, D-Stabilized, Phantom Planet, and maybe a few others). In the DNAngel side of the story, Daisuke is also fifteen (as his birthday passed in the manga canon), but his story takes place after the current cliffhanger (which is in winter, and in this story it's spring) and he's about to enter high school. It will be a slight AU to avoid that mess of an "ending" and dealing with Satoshi, so liberties will be taken in that aspect, but we'll address that when we get to it._

That being said, this is currently the last chapter that's out. I don't know when any new chapters will be out, it depends on if I find some time to work on it with Nila (though reviews are highly encouraging!). In the meantime, I highly recommend Nila's other DP/DN crossover, A Foreign Perspective, which she apparently wrote as an offshoot from the ideas we were brewing for this fic (that may or may not get used still) because she wanted to keep writing more DP/DN stuff. So yeah, she's brilliant and stuff and has taken it SO far (it's like... 30 chapters right now? More than 30! And over 100k words!) and it's such a good fic from a brief idea that sort of evolved. There are links on my profile, of course.

Well, anyway, I'm still on hiatus (and sorry again about disappearing so abruptly, but life calls...!) so... until next time!


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